


My Demons Shorts

by Plasmeic_Aether



Series: My Demons [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Judge!Sans, M/M, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Red has a bad time, Sans Has a Bad Time, The Judge - Freeform, Underfell, Underfell Sans, Undertale AU, Undertale Resets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-08-23 10:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20241568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plasmeic_Aether/pseuds/Plasmeic_Aether
Summary: A bunch of shorts in the 'My Demons' series.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [phantom pains](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350913) by [nilchance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilchance/pseuds/nilchance). 

> Sometimes, Red is grateful he doesn't deal with Sans' problems.  
Other times, he wishes he could empathize

“Sans…”

The utterance of the name was soft- the tone didn’t give much away. Sturdy as ever - as he would prefer. Still, he had to admit - backed against the wall, with a blue and yellow eyelight gazing into him like it could see his soul - this was a sticky situation to be in.

It’s not often that The Judge will rear its head - often, when it does happen, it’s because Sans was requested to Judge some poor assailant - to learn the extent of the crimes they’d pulled. Those people often left the Judgement Hall sweating bullets, eyes empty of anything but fear and regret for their actions.

However, on the other, rare occasion, The Judge will rear its head simply around someone with a higher LV. This could be anyone from someone who’d harmed protecting themselves, to someone like Red or Edge. People who knew what they did, and didn’t regret it - it was how they survived all their lives. Thus, the situation Red was in.

There were few things Red could do in this situation, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to just stand around and let The Judge remind him of every sin he’s ever pulled, every monster who he’d dusted with his own two hands.

No, Red was going to get the fuck away from him, and he was going to get Sans back. However, it seemed The Judge had seen his intent milliseconds after he thought it. The hand currently holding him against the wall by his sweater moved to hold him by his throat, constricting.

He didn’t need oxygen, but that wasn’t what he was worried about. Even with 5 HP, Red was still a fragile monster compared to most. Sans could dust him with a flick of his wrist, and Red wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

“Sans, fucking let me go.” Red growled, and The Judge’s expression doesn’t even flinch. It doesn’t speak - it rarely does. Only when it needs to - and it only speaks what it knows will get to the person its handling.

That’s why when words that are clearly not in Sans’ voice come out of his mouth, Red’s frozen solid for a moment.

**“Your attempts to change are in vain. You’re at LV 10. You can’t reverse what you’ve done, and Sans will not forget your sins either.”**

And just like that - as though a switch had been flipped, Red’s throat is released. The Judge stumbles a moment, and out of pure habit Red reaches forward to steady him. It’s only the flicker of white eyelights and the lazy tone that reassures Red that Sans is back.

“Wh… Red? What…”

Sans’ eyelights were hazy - The Judge still riding him. It wasn’t something easy to come down from, possession. Especially with something as powerful as The Judge.

No wonder Sans reads expressions so easily. That fucker knows what it’s doing.

“It’s alright, Sans.” He reassures, for a moment. “Just take a fuckin’ nap.”


	2. Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans deals with the Judge. Red is there for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals with overstimulation - something I deal with on the regular, and felt like putting Sans through. It's not a super pretty chapter, but it was fun to write nonetheless.

Honestly, sometimes, Sans doesn’t know if things happen for his good graces or as karma for the things he’s done.

He’s on edge again today. He’s been feeling the tick-tick-tick of his own mental clock more loudly than usual. Everything seems to be amplified - the sound of people talking on the street, the sound of Paps leaving and the squeak of the door closing, the soft shifts of clothing when he moves in his bed. He’s restless, but he can also feel The Judge isn’t happy either.

He can’t see Red today, not with how the Judge is trying to eat at his nerves. If there was just a *moment* where the restless need to make everything stop moving and stop making noise, he’d be able to text Red not to come over today. However, luck isn’t really on his side now is it? Even the thought of the tapping of his phone led Sans deeper into his overstimulated stupor. 

And thus, it was no surprise when about twenty minutes later, the sound of a shortcut opened in his room. It made him jolt away from the noise nonetheless, and Sans just realized he was holding the sides of his skull, hoping to drown out all the noise. Just for a second. He just needed to focus for a second.

“Sans? Shit, is it them?”

Yes, it’s them. And no, he can’t respond. He makes a pointed tap on the bed frame. One for yes. That's the system they've developed for when he gets like this - when even his own voice is too much sensory input for him.

He expects Red to start getting irritated at the Judge. Maybe growl out a threat, or yell or something like that. What he isn’t expecting is Red setting a gentle hand on his shoulder - even then, that’s just too much for him. He winces.

“Do you want me here?”

one tap. yes. Don’t leave him.

“Want me near you?”

He clenches his eyes tighter. Two taps. No, he can’t deal with that right now. There’s too much input already, but something in Red’s gruff voice and easy tone is just settling his nerves little by little. He can’t look at his face.

“Want me to talk to you?”

Sans hesitates, having to think about that a moment. Then, he taps once. He hates to admit it, but so long as Red doesn’t spout too much bullshit at him, his voice really does help him stay at ease. 

There’s a moment where Sans is left in silence save for his fast breathing. He feels a little light-headed, Red’s hand on his shoulder is leading him back into that panicked state and he doesn’t want to go there. Then, Red’s touch is gone, and Sans hears him taking light steps toward the wooden chair in his room. He prefers it to the stupid computer chairs - at least a wooden chair doesn’t creak with every move. Constant noise annoys the Judge.

But so does Red, and his presence is both a blessing and a kicurse. The Judge really doesn’t want Red around, but Sans is sure that Red being here will at least get the Judge to stand down enough Sans can actually relax and take a few hours’ nap. Maybe a few days.

“So,” Red starts, “how’sabout I tell ya the story of how I started workin’ on the extractor with Alph?”

Sans hums in a short acknowledgement. That seems good enough for Red, and the sound of his voice thrums consistently in Sans’s skull. It’s not unwelcome - it’s better than he would have felt without Red here at all. The steadiness of Red’s voice just *talking* to him is quick to lull his breathing easier, and he can feel the threads around his limbs slowly being removed, as though the Judge is reluctant to give up control.

But then the threads are dropped, and Sans feels alone in his head for the first time in over a month. Red’s voice becomes a lull, a promise of relaxation and calm that had previously been taken by the sound of every breath and every shift of fabric. He doesn’t even realize he’d started crying until he feels Red gently wipe a tear away from his face.

Sans takes a moment, but when he opens his eyes, the lights have been turned off. The soft glow of Red’s eyelights is all the light in the room, and the softness is all for him. Red seems uncertain until Sans softly leans into his hand, and Red lets out a soft huff of air.

“You’re okay.” he says, not moving to take Sans by the hand or force more contact on him. He waits. He doesn’t push.

Sans brings his hand up to Red’s, and sets it atop his as tears continue to fall. His voice is barely choked when he responds.

“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> So! I've been getting into the Sans//Judge AU thing I've seen once or twice... and I wanted to take a swing at how Red would be treated by The Judge. This was my first time tackling it, this fic.


End file.
